FIR lodged against DU college principal for siphoning off Rs 1.5 crore
22 Oct 2014 11:39 PM GMT
Delhi police have lodged an FIR against SP Gupta, acting principal of Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College along with four others for fraudulently transferring an amount of Rs 1.50 crore from the college account to a private account in the name of holding the University Grants Commission-National Eligibility Test (UGC-NET) examination.
The other officials named in the police report are: college bursar JP Mahajan, former governing body chairman Baleshwar Rai, college treasurer Sheoraj Singh and a chartered accountant Rajinder Mann. According to the documents available with Millennium Post, vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh had knowledge of the whole matter and preferred to ignore it.
The case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating, forgery and breach of trust. The Prevention of Corruption Act has also been invoked. It may be noted that Kirori Mal College is a university maintained college directly under the superintendence of the Vice-Chancellor, who appoints the governing body of the college. In this case, even the acting principal has been appointed by the vice-chancellor as the regular principal Dr Bhimsen Singh is under suspension.
According to the FIR, copy of which is available with Millennium Post, there were financial irregularities in conducting the ‘UGC NET examination’ in December 2012 and June 2013. The FIR mentions that a new bank account in Oriental Bank of Commerce was opened illegally in the name of ‘UGC-NET Test centre- KM College’ where funds allocated for conducting the examination were transferred from the college account without anybody having any knowledge about it. The funds were transferred with the signatures of the acting principal and the bursar. Thereafter huge amounts adding up to Rs 60 lakh were withdrawn in cash by unknown persons.
According to the FIR, SP Gupta (acting principal), J P Mahajan (bursar), Baleshwar Rai (former chairman KMC governing body), Sheoraj Singh (college treasurer) and Rajinder Mann (self-proclaimed college auditor) are accused of misusing 1.50 crores of Indian rupees which were given by UGC for conducting the UGC-NET examination. Since Kirori Mal College is a university-maintained college, it accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and there are no provision for hiring private auditors.
‘The first instalment of Rs 75 lakh was credited by UGC in the regular bank account of college which was later transferred to a separate bank account by the accused so that they may utilise part of the funds and misappropriate a substantial amount from the said funds,’ said a statement in the FIR by complainant Mithlesh Kumar Singh.
As per the rules, a new account can be opened only with the authorisation of the governing body and payments and withdrawals are to be made only through cheques. Even this account had to be operated by the principal and the bursar but was operated by the principal and an outsider in this case.
Further, the FIR says that no receipt of expenditure of funds was submitted to UGC by the acting principal. Also, to elude the authorities, Rs 10, 73, 640 was issued to ‘The Secretary, UGC’ in January 2013 as a refund of unspent amount. ‘It is curious that such remittance by officers of UGC was effected in favour of KMC though the particulars of the newly opened bank account were not officially communicated to the UGC by KMC,’ says the FIR.
Not only that, on three occasions a total amount of Rs 35 lakh-60 lakh in December 2012 and Rs 10 lakh and 15 lakh were withdrawn in cash by the accused for unknown reasons. ‘Again when UGC further sanctioned Rs 75 lakh for conducting the UGC-NET examination in June 2013, the amount was transferred to the same bank account by S P Gupta and Rajinder Mann and false receipts of expenditures were submitted,’ says the FIR.
Interestingly, despite the matter being brought to the knowledge of the vice-chancellor and he in turn having written to the governing body, the issue was neither raised in the governing body meetings nor with the staff council whose sanction is required before conducting the exam. Several attempts to contact the acting principal SP Gupta on Tuesday remained futile.
The other officials named in the police report are: college bursar JP Mahajan, former governing body chairman Baleshwar Rai, college treasurer Sheoraj Singh and a chartered accountant Rajinder Mann. According to the documents available with Millennium Post, vice-chancellor Dinesh Singh had knowledge of the whole matter and preferred to ignore it.
The case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for cheating, forgery and breach of trust. The Prevention of Corruption Act has also been invoked. It may be noted that Kirori Mal College is a university maintained college directly under the superintendence of the Vice-Chancellor, who appoints the governing body of the college. In this case, even the acting principal has been appointed by the vice-chancellor as the regular principal Dr Bhimsen Singh is under suspension.
According to the FIR, copy of which is available with Millennium Post, there were financial irregularities in conducting the ‘UGC NET examination’ in December 2012 and June 2013. The FIR mentions that a new bank account in Oriental Bank of Commerce was opened illegally in the name of ‘UGC-NET Test centre- KM College’ where funds allocated for conducting the examination were transferred from the college account without anybody having any knowledge about it. The funds were transferred with the signatures of the acting principal and the bursar. Thereafter huge amounts adding up to Rs 60 lakh were withdrawn in cash by unknown persons.
According to the FIR, SP Gupta (acting principal), J P Mahajan (bursar), Baleshwar Rai (former chairman KMC governing body), Sheoraj Singh (college treasurer) and Rajinder Mann (self-proclaimed college auditor) are accused of misusing 1.50 crores of Indian rupees which were given by UGC for conducting the UGC-NET examination. Since Kirori Mal College is a university-maintained college, it accounts are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and there are no provision for hiring private auditors.
‘The first instalment of Rs 75 lakh was credited by UGC in the regular bank account of college which was later transferred to a separate bank account by the accused so that they may utilise part of the funds and misappropriate a substantial amount from the said funds,’ said a statement in the FIR by complainant Mithlesh Kumar Singh.
As per the rules, a new account can be opened only with the authorisation of the governing body and payments and withdrawals are to be made only through cheques. Even this account had to be operated by the principal and the bursar but was operated by the principal and an outsider in this case.
Further, the FIR says that no receipt of expenditure of funds was submitted to UGC by the acting principal. Also, to elude the authorities, Rs 10, 73, 640 was issued to ‘The Secretary, UGC’ in January 2013 as a refund of unspent amount. ‘It is curious that such remittance by officers of UGC was effected in favour of KMC though the particulars of the newly opened bank account were not officially communicated to the UGC by KMC,’ says the FIR.
Not only that, on three occasions a total amount of Rs 35 lakh-60 lakh in December 2012 and Rs 10 lakh and 15 lakh were withdrawn in cash by the accused for unknown reasons. ‘Again when UGC further sanctioned Rs 75 lakh for conducting the UGC-NET examination in June 2013, the amount was transferred to the same bank account by S P Gupta and Rajinder Mann and false receipts of expenditures were submitted,’ says the FIR.
Interestingly, despite the matter being brought to the knowledge of the vice-chancellor and he in turn having written to the governing body, the issue was neither raised in the governing body meetings nor with the staff council whose sanction is required before conducting the exam. Several attempts to contact the acting principal SP Gupta on Tuesday remained futile.
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